Today, on the eve of New York Comic-Con, Marvel premiered their next big event; AXIS. But before we get ahead of the game, let’s get the story so far courtesy of the first few pages of AXIS:
Overcome by the influence of the cosmic Phoenix entity, longtime X-Man Cyclops killed his mentor, Professor Charles Xavier, rendering him an outlaw to humanity and his fellow X-Men alike. In the wake of Xavier’s death, Captain America recruited veteran X-Man Havok, Cyclops’ brother, to form a team of Avengers to demonstrate to the world that humans and mutants can work together. The Avengers Unity Squad’s mission was immediatel put to the test when the villainous Red Skull, in possession of Xavier’s brain and the immense psychic powers that come with it, sought to incite was between man and mutant. Thought the Avengers defeated the Red Skull, he managed to escape.
In the months that followed, The Skull continued to carry out his plan, revisitng familiar Nazi tactics and collecting mutants, imprisoning them in a reeducation camp he created on the abandoned island of Genosha. Taken captive at the Red Skull’s camp, Avengers Havok, Rogue, and Scarlet Witch quickly freed themselves, as well as mutant terrorist Magneto, who had been captured while investigating the camp o ver the course of his one-man war on those who would do harm to mutantkind. Hellbent on completing his mission, Magneto viciously murded the Red Skull against the Avengers’ wishes. But the act backfired and in an explosion of psychic energy, the Red Skull was reborn in a terrifying New Form: The Red Onslaught.
With that, the next big game-changing event has begun. AND I LOVED IT! Event stories are inherently epic, but sometimes their scale makes them hard to follow or understand. Rick Rememder was able to tell an large story, but one that stays understandable. While the comic alludes to other Marvel events and characters, it remains simple and a good jumping on point. Red Skull is bad and trying to brainwash while the good guys try to stop it. The very nature of this book implies twists and turns as the Marvel Universe will undoubtably get flipped on its “Axis,” but by starting the story off in a way we can understand
I also enjoyed the fullness of the story. You don’t feel cheated by picking up this issue. With several stories that all feel complete, the comic feels like a value. As I read it digitally, where I thought one issue would end, turned out to just be the mid-way point. And this is only the first issue of a nine-issue miniseries.
The series is split up into three acts: The Red Supremacy, Inversion, and New World Disorder. Speaking of a new world, as part of their Avengers NOW! initative, many favorite characters have gone through some changes. Sam Wilson is the new Captain America, there is a new female Thor, and Tony Stark is moving to San Francisco with a new suit. It will be interesting to see how these changes affect the access story. In the first issue, we see the new Captain America in action and the old Captain America looking very old. One can’t help but wonder how these changes will cause the new world disorder teased in the third chapter heading.
But back to the issue, the art is good and the story is a lot of fun, but the true value of this comic is the nearly flawless execution. If you are looking for an entry-level event to enter the wonderful world of Marvel comics, AXIS is the event for you.